


Let’s See How Far We’ve Come

by Burrahobbit



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Hermann Gottlieb, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Fix-It, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Possession, Spoilers for Pacific Rim Uprising, The dinner suggestion is Newt’s cry for help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-07 22:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14090925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burrahobbit/pseuds/Burrahobbit
Summary: (Formerly ”Dinner Plans”)Newt invites Hermann for dinner with Alice. This time, he says yes.(Contains major spoilers for Uprising)





	1. Dinner Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alt title: I use too many italics.  
> Goddddd I really wanted to write this fix-it. I hope you all like it! Writing this was so much fun.  
> EDIT: new title is from “How Far We’ve Come” by Matchbox Twenty

“And you can finally meet Alice!”

Hermann is about to say no, as he’s said many other times - as much as he wants to spend time with Newton, he doubts spending the evening with this “Alice” will end well - but something stops him.

There’s a certain look in Newt’s eyes that Hermann can’t quite place that makes him pause.

“I’d love to,” he says, and isn’t entirely sure why.

“Great! Tonight at 6, how about that?” Newton says, looking ecstatic. 

“Yes, that would be... agreeable.”

The bored expression returns to Newton’s face, and he checks his watch. “I’d love to chat more, but, y’know, busy schedule-“

They say their quick goodbyes, and Hermann feels the dread growing at what is to come.

 

At six sharp, Hermann knocks on the door of Newt’s quarters, dressed in his most flattering evening outfit.

After a few moments, Newt answers, his hair a mess.

“Hey, right on time! Of corse you would be.” Newton doesn’t sound happy to see him, which is a bit of a disappointment.

“Well, yes, I- I like to be punctual.”

“Come in!” He waves Hermann inside, closing the door behind him. “Alice isnnnnnnnn-” Newton grimaces, as if from a headache. “-nn’t ready! She isn’t ready yet! She’ll join us soon!”

_Quite odd, even for Newt._

“Is something wrong?”

“No, hah, w-why would there be?”

The tremor in Newt’s voice is suspicious.

“Really, if something’s wrong...”

Newt’s face scrunches up, his body tensing. Then he relaxes, a lazy smile on his face.

“Just feelin’ a little off today, don’t worry.”

They walk into the living room, Newt offering the couch to his guest.

“I’ll be right back,” he promises, walking towards what Hermann would assume is his bedroom.

There’s a few minutes of waiting, Hermann idly tapping his knee and looking around the apartment.

Then, startlingly, there’s a loud ‘thunk.’

At first, Hermann is too surprised to even think of what to do. Then another ‘thunk’ comes, and Hermann stands, walking over to the bedroom.

He knocks, and another ‘thunk’ sounds off from inside, then a crack.

“Newton...?”

There’s a loud crash, and something like the sloshing of water, and Newt screams.

Hermann bursts into the room, surveying the situation.

On the ground is an injured Newt, pieces of glass sticking in his arm, blood seeping into his clothes.

Possibly even more distressing is the large tank, broken and leaking fluid, with a piece of a kaiju’s secondary brain sitting inside the rapidly decreasing liquid.

Ignoring the confusion of the situation, Hermann hurries towards Newton, kneeling by his side and checking over the damage.

“Newt, what in God’s name-“

“Hermann!” Scrambling away, fear alight in his eyes, Newt clutches his injured arm. _“Fuck,_ Herms, you gotta leave-“

He grimaces, clearly in a great amount of pain. His expression stills only seconds later, seeming almost... amused?

Newt clicks his tongue, looking from Hermann to the brain.

“Well, that’s disappointing, but expected.”

Hermann isn’t sure how to respond. This is completely out of character for the normally overdramatic Newt.

“Newt, we have to get you help-“

“Help?” Newt laughs, and it’s unnerving and _off._ “As if I need help. The only ones who need help will be-“

Doubling over mid sentence, Newt let’s go of his arm to instead clutch his head.

“Hermann, please, you gotta get out of here.”

Ignoring the man’s words, Herman scoots closer, worry increasing exponentially.

“Calm down. You need to tell me what’s wrong. Please.”

“I- I don’t have time, they’re- they’re fighting, it hurts.”

“What are you talking about? Is someone hurting you?”

“It’s- Herm, please, leave, I’m trying to hold them back.”

Newt straightens, his eyes open unnaturally wide.

“As if _any_ of you could successfully hold us back. We are everything, and you are _nothing._ You are _weak,_ only able to keep us at bay for mere moments.”

Hermann is scared by this display, admittedly, but he doesn’t give up, scooting even closer, less than a foot away now.

“Let me help you.”

With a surprising amount of strength, Newt pushes Hermann away, his back and head hitting the wall behind him. When he manages to look back up, Newt’s eyes are filled with fear.

“Shit, I-“ Tears are spilling onto Newt’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

Closing his eyes, Newt’s hand closes around his own throat and squeezes.

Hermann struggles to stand, having to retrieve his cane before he is able to pull himself fully upright.

“Are ‘they’ doing this?”

Newt shakes his head, rasping out “I’m buying you time.”

Panicked, Hermann runs out of the room, his leg screaming in pain as he stumbles towards the front door.

He slams his hand into the emergency button beside the entrance, leaning heavily on his cane as he waits for the answer.

“What is your emergency?“

“It’s Newton, he’s- I don’t know what has happened, but his arm is full of glass, and he’s attempting to choke himself bare handed.”

“We’re sending people there as soon as possible, please try to calm him down and keep him from hurting himself until responders arrive.”

Hermann turns, only to see Newt leaning against the door frame of his room, nose bleeding and a red bite mark in his arm.

“Heeeeermaaaaann~”

That’s definitely not his Newt.

The man walks towards him, face twisted into an expression of maliciousness. Hermann backs away, his self preservation kicking in.

He just has to hold out. They’re coming.

“Now, Newton, don’t be rash.”

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?”

Newt’s going much slower than he could - a predator, toying with its prey.

“Who are you?”

The thing - it’s decidedly not Newt, whatever is currently in control - laughs, his voice sounding distorted and alien.

“What, don’t recognize us? I had thought one of Earth’s brightest would have at least figured that out.”

Hermann furrows his brow, trying to puzzle out who this could be.

His eyes widen in understanding.

 _“Precursors_ \- but how?”

“That little Drift of yours is a two way door. As soon as Newton Geiszler was connected to the hivemind, he let us in.”

“And now you control him.”

“Have for a long time. Not that you noticed; I thought you two were supposed to be friends?” The Precursors pause, smirking. “Oh, sorry, _colleague.”_

Hermann is shaking with anger, gripping his cane until his knuckles have turned white.

“You kept him away from me, didn’t you?”

The Precursors have slowly been making their way closer, and Hermann is beginning to be cornered. He makes a quick turn, but they catch his arm.

“We’d like to think we did him a favor. Someone like you, with someone like him? You two would have ripped each other to shreds.”

Hermann struggles to get out of their grasp, but it’s too strong - he’s definitely going to have bruises there.

The Precursors shove him away, landing him almost against the wall. He holds out a hand to brace himself against it.

“Newton is successful, powerful, the head engineer of a powerful company. He would have been nothing with you.”

“He would have been happy.”

The Precursors inspect him, as if judging something.

”You’re stalling for time. Trying to find a way out.”

Hands slamming against the wall right next to his head, the Precursors sneer.

“You will not get in our way, Hermann Gottlieb. It’s too late.”

Hermann’s blood runs cold.

“Too late? For what?”

They laugh disconcertingly loud. “We are not stupid enough to tell you our plans. Just as you are not smart enough to escape us.”

Hermann can hear the door unlocking, and he smiles as the Precursors tense.

“Or, perhaps, you are too dull to notice I already have.”

As hard as he can, he punches Newton in the face, telling himself it’s the only way to protect the real Newt trapped inside.

The door opens, and security rush in, restraining Newt quickly and putting him on the stretcher.

Hermann watches as they cart him out, thrashing against his restraints.

This had gone pretty bad - horribly bad, if he’s being honest - but Hermann shudders to think about what could have happened if he wasn’t there.

It’s far from being over, but at least Newton’s safe. Now, they just have to save him from what’s in his own mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you’d like to see more of this AU. Not sure yet if I want to continue it.


	2. Omens and Info

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt’s fighting against the Precursors, telling them anything he is able to before being pulled back under. There’s only so much he can do, however, and Hermann worries for his safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, time to fix the whole movie.  
> Also this fic is gonna shift from “possibly Newmann” to “that good slow burn shit I crave.”

They don’t want to let him in to see Newton, at first. He’s still in recovery from his injuries, as well as being a danger to others.

Luckily, Hermann manages to convince the doctors to give him access only days later.

He walks into the room, accompanied by Ranger Nate Lambert and Liwen Shao - he’s still amazed Shao managed to get clearance, but she’s nothing if not determined.

There’s a security guard standing right outside the door.

Herman had told the PPDC everything that happened - about the kaiju brain, Newt’s volatile actions, the Precursors, etc. If he happened to leave out the finger-shaped bruises still healing on his arms, who could blame him?

Their primary goal during this visit is to get information, but Hermann’s personal goal is to make sure Newt is alright.

Laying on the bed, restraints around his arms and legs, Newt is clearly awake, but dazed from the drugs. He’s bandaged in various areas.

“Newton...?”

There’s a long pause before Newt looks up, smiling. There’s something about it that tells him that ~~his~~ the real Newton isn’t in control.

“Heyyyyy Hermann! How’s my favorite human doing?”

They’re tapping their fingers against the side of the bed, making an annoying ‘click’ each time.

“And you brought guests. What can we do for you?”

Ranger Lambert steps forward, hands folded behind his back.

“We hope you’ll cooperate with us.”

The Precursors laugh, the distorted noise grating and terrible.

“You think you’ve already won. You do not recognize all you have to lose.”

“What are you planning?”

“More things than your minds could properly comprehend.”

Shao clenches her fist - she may be angry, but it cannot be even close to what Hermann feels. He’s not even sure if she ever met the real Newt.

”He has access to all my tech,” she says under her breath, but clearly not trying to keep quiet. “Who knows what these things could have done?”

There’s something that makes Hermann pause, tuning out the conversation.

Newt’s hand is still moving, ticking relentlessly against the metal frame. Except, while Newt’s tapping has always been frenzied movements or AC/DC songs, this has a clear pattern.

Taking out his notepad and pen, Herman waits for the tapping to start from the beginning.

There’s a pause, then- full hand tap, full hand tap, pause. Finger tap, full hand tap, pause.

Hermann writes it down as dash, dash, space, dot, dash.

Morse code. Newt’s trying to tell them something.

He stops writing when the final, long pause comes before the message repeats, and quickly translates what he’d written down.

“MAKO IN DANGER.”

He puts a hand on Ranger Lambert’s shoulder, stopping him mid sentence. 

“Secretary Mori is in danger,” he whispers with a tone of urgency.

The Ranger nods, quickly leaving the room with Shao, assuredly to warn Mako and the PPDC. With a glance at Newt, he follows them out.

Hermann and Lambert come back the next day, with not nearly as much success as before. An hour after they’d arrived, the Ranger leaves, with more important things to take care of than arguing with some aliens.

Hermann stays behind, standing directly in front of the hospital bed. The Precursors are staring at him, clearly confused about why he, too, hasn’t left in a huff.

“I know you’re fighting them, Newt. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer through this.”

There’s a long moment of silence. The Precursors laugh, but the noise is cut short.

Newt’s expression changes, his smile turning genuine, and Hermann feels relieved. He’d almost thought he wouldn’t get to see Newt at all this visit.

It’s the first time they’ve seen each other since everything went downhill. Despite the logical side of him screaming not to, he walks up beside the bed, taking Newton’s bound hand in his own and squeezing it.

“We’re going to save you. I promise.”

This close, Hermann can see the dark circles under his eyes. The man is quite clearly exhausted.

“You used to say promises were lies,” Newt teases.

With a chuckle, Hermann responds, “A lot has changed.”

The smile slips from Newt’s face, and he says, “I- I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Newt.”

 _More than you know,_ he doesn’t say.

Hermann lets go.

Quickly, the Precursors come back, and Hermann leaves, ignoring the distorted voice that screams after him.

He’s updated on the situation an hour later - Mako Mori is being protected, and Raleigh Becket is boarding the first plane to Hong Kong. They’re not sure yet exactly why or how Mako is in trouble - the Precursors haven’t been letting Newt say anything more than he already has.

It’s better than nothing.

Raleigh arrives faster than Hermann had been expecting - though he’s not really _that_ surprised, considering the kinds of connections the ex-Ranger has accumulated from saving the world.

Hermann is there for the little reunion - Mako and Raleigh hadn’t been apart for that long, but you’d think they were from how dearly they hold on to each other.

After being informed of the situation, Raleigh takes it upon himself to help the PPDC in any way he can, even though he’s been retired for almost 6 years now.

Anybody can tell by how Mako smiles like the sun that she is happy to see her husband.

Hermann goes back to the hospital two days later, insisting he can get more information out of the Precursors. Although, he would have said anything to them so that he could see Newt.

Newton is in a much better condition than he was previously, though still strapped to the hospital bed. The nurse tells him he could be released in as early as a few days.

They have some chairs set in the room, now, and Hermann pulls one up beside the bed.

Newt is silent for a minute, clearly struggling to say something.

“I-I’m sorry for what happened,” he finally gets out.

“At dinner? Don’t worry about it, Newt. It wasn’t you.”

He doesn’t press for anything else at the moment, content to hear Newt’s voice, to see his chest rising and falling and know that he’s still inside, can still wrest control from the beings in his head.

Newt falls asleep for an hour and a half, looking more peaceful than he has in a long time.

He wakes up in a panic, heavily breathing and clearly still Newt.

“Hermann, I gotta tell you-“

He pauses, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. The Precursors are fighting back.

“They’ve made-“

Newt pulls against the straps around his wrists, pain clear upon his face.

“You’ve done enough for now,” Hermann says, heartbroken as he looks at Newt purposefully hurting himself to give them information.

Shaking his head, Newt squeezes his eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

“A Jaeger! They- they made one, a Jaeger, and they plan to attack.“

_“What?”_

“You have to prepare, it’ll be-“

Newt’s back arches off the bed, and he screams.

Doctors rush in as Hermann looks on in abject horror. Newt is clearly in so much pain, and there’s nothing he can do.

The doctors sedate him, and he quickly loses strength, eyelids drooping.

“H-Herms...”

“I’m here.”

“I’m trying, but- shit, it hurts. There’s more, I... I want to tell you.”

“I’m so sorry, Newt,” Hermann says, trying not to let his voice crack. “We’ll get them out.”

He waits until Newt’s eyes have closed to leave the room.

Hermann immediately tells the PPDC about this Jaeger Newton mentioned.

It seems to be their new arrangement: they let Hermann see Newt, and in exchange he gives them information. From what he’s heard, Newt hasn’t been able to successfully break through with anyone besides him yet.

It gives Hermann a strange feeling in his stomach when he learns this.

With everyone informed of the possible attack, the ‘dome becomes a flurry of activity.

The Jaegers begin getting upgrades, and they’ve started building an entirely new Jaeger. After much begging and pleading from one of the cadets, Amara Namani, they even let her repair her own robot, this time with better material than junk.

Herman is sent coordinates to an old Jaeger production facility in Russia - Mako believes it’s a strong candidate for where the Precursor’s base of operations could be.

It’s the only place with enough old Jaeger tech, along with being far out of notice.

He knows Mako values his opinion, so he sends her an email back, agreeing with her assessment, as well as giving some suggestions for surveillance and planning.

When Newt’s finally released, they move him into a cell - despite Hermann’s best efforts, all he could convince them to let him have was a few books, a miniature chalkboard, and a chalk pack with various colors.

They’re worried that, given access to a pencil or anything of the sort, he may hurt himself. Hermann is inclined to agree with the precaution.

The first chance he gets to leave his lab, Hermann heads to the cell. It’s not terrible, really, but he still feels a pang in his heart as he looks upon Newt curled up on the cot inside.

“I’m going to get you out,” Hermann whispers to himself, less a promise now, and more of a fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept adding more and more Mako. I had to edit out whole tangents of how much Raleigh and Mako love each other and how they have kids and live in San Fransisco. Just let them be happy.  
> Also, if you’re wondering why the PPDC has been pretty lax in terms of Newt’s situation... I mean, he really hasn’t done anything but hurt himself, so far. Ahh, the beauty of fix-it.


	3. Landfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At 18:00, Obsidian Fury makes landfall in Hong Kong.  
> Hermann has mixed feelings about the event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, in the previous chapter: As much as I love Mako, I should really let the new cast shine as well-  
> Me writing this chapter: MAKO MAKO MAKO MAKO MAKO MAKO

Hermann raises an eyebrow as a cafeteria tray is set down on his console.

“You need to eat, Dr. Gottlieb,” Mako reminds him.

“Isn’t it against the rules to take a lunch tray out of the mess?” Hermann says, but he’s smiling.

He picks the fork up from the tray and takes a bite of salad, watching as Mako sits next to him.

“I heard Dr. Geiszler isn’t doing well.”

No matter how many times Newt’s told her not to call him that, she always does. Perhaps some things never change.

“I wouldn’t say he’s doing badly either...”

“What happened?”

Hermann pauses, scooting his food with his fork for a moment while he thinks of what to say.

“It’s been a week,” he says. “And there’s been no sign of Newt breaking through. A metaphorical radio silence.”

“Are the Precursors still talking?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Mako had put three cookies on his tray - all oatmeal raisin. She’s clearly remembered his preferences, though he doesn’t remember his favorite cookie ever coming up in conversation.

He picks one up, and Mako begins discussing the PPDC’s plans going forward.

Mako’s suggestions to investigate the Russian base have been put off, in favor of preparing for this supposed attack Newt had told them about. Reinforcements from Sydney Shatterdome have been flown in, and San Francisco is on the defensive, too far away to help properly, but preparing for a fight if anything comes their way.

Jake Pentecost comes in to talk to Mako, and the two leave his lab, Mako promising to come check in on him later. Hermann takes his tray back to the cafeteria.

His mind keeps drifting back to Newt, no matter how much he tells himself it’s out of his control.

Ten minutes later, just as he’s settling back into his desk, they’re informed that an unregistered Jaeger has surfaced only miles away.

Hermann pulls up their digital map on the main console. Blinking red, and making it’s way quickly closer, is the unregistered Jaeger.

A group of offensive Jaegers are deployed, with Saber Athena leading the group. The rest stay behind, ready to defend the ‘dome, should this unknown attacker get through.

Hermann suspects Newt’s prediction is coming to fruition.

They can hear the comms from inside the lab, as well as J-Tech’s hurried responses.

Titan Redeemer is the first Jaeger down, with one surviving pilot. Next is Sydney’s Ivory Slayer - no survivors. They take down the Jaeger before it reaches the Shatterdome, but Bracer Phoenix is quite damaged during the fight.

They come back toting the fallen attacker with them, with the request that Hermann and his team come immediately.

The machine is severely damaged - unlikely that any pilot could have survived. Rangers involved in the battle give their retelling of the event to Hermann directly.

Pilots of Saber Athena Kimiko Himura and Rosette Madigan give the initial report, having led the mission. What they relay to him is extraordinary.

A Jaeger, piloted by a kaiju’s secondary brain. It’s fascinating, as well as terrifying.

He wishes Newt were here to see.

The area is quarantined, bits of the Jaeger/Kaiju hybrid carefully taken off for analysis in the lab. Once it’s deemed relatively safe, they begin their thorough investigation.

Eight years ago, Hermann never would have gone near a piece of kaiju.

Now, however, he pulls on his safety equipment and eagerly cuts into their samples, handing various specimens to his team for testing.

It’s a messy job, and one the PPDC has offered many times to hire someone for, but Hermann finds he’s come to enjoy it. Both the peacefulness of working with his hands, and how it reminds him of-

_Don’t go there. Now is not the time._

About twenty minutes into his work, he gets a surprise visit once again by Mako.

This time, however, there are three cadets trailing behind her.

“I found these three about to sneak into _Obsidian Fury,_ as they’re calling the Jaeger now. I thought, if they were so interested in the inner workings of Jaegers and Kaiju, perhaps you could give them a lesson.”

Hermann almost laughs - she’s going against protocol, not that it’s very surprising. Normally, this sort of thing would have to be reported. Mako clearly has a soft spot for the cadets.

Not too soft, however. There’s a reason she brought them to the lab instead of letting them off with a warning.

“I’d be happy to, Secretary Mori.”

With a wink, Mako leaves him with the youngsters.

“Is that a kaiju brain?” one of them asks excitedly - Amara Namani, if Hermann remembers correctly. The one that built her own one-pilot Jaeger.

“Very close; it’s the secondary brain,” Hermann says. “The skull of a kaiju is too thick to pierce through before the brain has rotted away.”

One of the cadets looks as if he wants to puke.

Hermann continues, “It’s incredible how someone could manage to integrate a secondary kaiju brain into a Jaeger. I imagine it must have taken a while.”

Amara is inspecting some of the robotic equipment, looking as if she’s about to prod something in there.

With a sigh, Hermann passes out safety equipment to each of the kids, figuring one of them is going to get hurt if he doesn’t.

Amara takes more interest in it than the other two, who watch as she pokes at the exposed machinery.

Though at first she just seems morbidly curious, her expression quickly turns more focused, and dare he say confused.

“What is it?” Hermann asks.

“It’s...” Amara pulls her hands out, now clearly dumbfounded. “The coils inside. They’re from Shao Industries.”

Hermann tenses - he’s not sure whether the confirmation that Shao’s tech is compromised is better or worse for them.

“Dr. Gottlieb? We have to tell the PPDC, right?”

If he weren’t covered in Kaiju Blue, Hermann would certainly be rubbing his temples.

“I will inform them, yes. You’re dismissed, cadets.”

The other two take off their safety gear and leave in a hurry, clearly not wanting to find out what punishment will be given if they stay.

Amara stays exactly in her place, and Hermann has to keep himself from smiling. He knows a rebel when he sees one.

“You don’t look nearly as worried as you should be. Once they do the vote, the drones-“

“The PPDC and Shao have already been informed of the dangers Shao Industries’ tech may hold. We’ve suspected they may be compromised for a while now.”

“And you didn’t tell _anyone else?”_

“I‘ll remind you that it hadn’t been confirmed until just now, so no. The vote had been indefinitely postponed anyways.”

Amara still seems annoyed, but less angry than before.

“Thank you for pointing this out to me,” Hermann says. “You clearly have more intimate knowledge of Shao’s tech than I. We might not have ever noticed it.”

This finally gets Amara to smile.

“Well, you’re welcome. So... does this mean we’re not getting in trouble?”

“As far as I’m aware, no. But I’d be more careful next time you go poking around in places you don’t have clearance to.”

Telling her not to do it again would be useless at best, and counterproductive at worst. Better to make sure she doesn’t get into _too_ much trouble.

“Oh, yeah? Never thought you’d be the type to encourage teenage rebellion.”

“What, because I’m a stuffy old scientist who can’t possibly understand you?” Hermann fake-scoffs. “I’ve dealt with so much worse than you.”

Amara leaves with a smile after taking off the equipment, and Hermann reminds himself to introduce her and Newt once the Precursors are out of his head.

Hermann takes off his own equipment soon after - it’ll take a bit for the samples to be analyzed, meaning he has some time to kill.

After a long minute of consideration, he heads to Newt’s cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hermann and Newt are Mako’s weird gay uncles, and you can’t convince me otherwise.  
> (I’ve thought way too much about this.)


End file.
